Angel With the Clipped Wings
by Eimin - The Eternal Sleep
Summary: Neji always believed in fate. But he decided to listen to Naruto, just this once... And because of that, he was now locked in a darkened room waiting for his red-haired master to return and wondering what the Hell was going to happen to him...GaaNeji AU
1. Chapter One: Betrayal

**Disclaimer: I do not own the awesomeness that is Naruto (insert witty comment here).**

**This is shonen-ai. Don't like, don't read, it's as simple as that. Flames will be used to further my love of shonen-ai!**

**So...yeah. Don't ask me where this idea came from because I don't know myself! XD My first attempt at an AU (Alternative Universe) fic. I felt like writing something to do with Gaara and Neji and this popped into my head. Unfortunately, it popped into my head at 10pm and wouldn't leave me alone so I had to stay up until 2am writing it or else I would have gotten no sleep whatsoever. So enjoy! ^.^ Probably a little OOC...**

**Ages: Around 16-17 years old.**

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Hyuuga Neji had always believed in fate. It had controlled his miserable existence ever since he was born, and would continue to control it until he _died_. His father had attempted to defy fate, and it led him to die in the place of his twin. Everything was predestined, and now Neji had to face the consequences of his ill-advised choices. As he looked through the bars of his tiny, cold, cramped cage, the Hyuuga branch member wondered what had possessed him to allow him to listen to the nonsensical ramblings of one Uzumaki Naruto.

_Flashback:_

The Hyuuga branch member sat on the rooftop of the Hyuuga household next to his best friend, Naruto. Naruto was a servant to Hinata-sama, who was Neji's cousin, and also the heir to the Byakugan kekkei genkai and the whole Hyuuga household. She was far too gentle and kind to command Naruto to do anything so he was free to do pretty much whatever he pleased. In most ways, he was much less a servant than Neji was, as the dark-haired Hyuuga was bound to protect the head family forever under the threat of death. Neji was unable to even contradict the head family as his Caged Bird mark would come into effect and cause him unendurable agony, with the very real possibility of killing him. Neji frowned at the sky as a sparrow flitted carelessly across it and whispered, "Naruto-kun... I don't think this is such a great idea..."

"It's BRILLIANT!" The Kyuubi vessel insisted, grinning as his nine tails swished around him. "It's gotta be; it's one of _my_ ideas after all!"

Neji rolled his lavender eyes at the blond's enthusiasm.

"So modest..." A voice whispered from behind them. A dark aura permeated the air as an adolescent with hair the colour of a raven's feathers sat down next to the blond kitsune, wrapping his arms around him. The smaller boy leaned into the embrace and sighed contentedly.

"Teme! Thanks for coming..."

"Dobe..." The Uchiha smirked in way of a greeting. Neji sighed and looked at the stretch of blue above him again. He really didn't understand how those two were soulmates. They were absolute opposites in almost every aspect. The single common bond that they shared was that they were both orphans. _Well..._Neji thought wryly, _I guess opposites _do_ attract..._

Pulling his knees up to his chest, the pale-eyed teenager watched the room across from where he was seated, seeing through the solid wall with his Byakugan. Inside, his uncle and cousin trained relentlessly. He could see the extreme fatigue on Hanabi-sama's pale face.

Abruptly, Hanabi bowed to her father and exited the room. It was time. Time for Hyuuga Neji, a branch family member, to ask for the impossible. To ask to be released from the Hyuuga curse.

Legs shaking slightly, the adolecent leapt down from the low rooftop, landing with a muted _thud_on the grass. Naruto and Sasuke shadowed him, Naruto whispering confidence in his ear.

All too soon, Neji arrived outside Hiashi-sama's door. He rapped his knuckles smartly against it and waited, adopting an impassive expression on his face.

"Enter," his uncle's voice commanded. Neji took a deep, steadying breath and opened the door.

"Neji-san?" The head of the clan murmured, looking surprised. Or, at least, as surprised as a Hyuuga ever looked. "What do you want?"

Neji's hand nervously brushed over the mark on his forehead unconsciously, and he bowed respectfully. He decided to be direct. "I want out."

Hiashi's eyebrows rose. "...Out?"

"Hai, out. Out of the Hyuuga family, the Hyuuga compound, the Hyuuga lifestyle. I do not wish to be a Hyuuga any longer..."

The man before him snorted, "no-one leaves this clan... I will not allow it!"

Neji sighed and looked his uncle in the eye. "I _am_leaving," he snarled, trying to keep the uncertainty and fear out of his voice. Slowly, he raised his palm in front of him, keeping the other level with his hip in the normal Hyuuga fighting stance. Neji closed his eyes and summoned all the strength of his will to leave. "ByakugAHHH!"

Suddenly, a blinding, sickening pain crippled his mind. He collapsed to the floor, clutching his forehead as it threatened to split apart. Agonised, half-formed yells issued from the Byakugan genius's lips as every cell in his mind revolted against one another, shredding his psyche apart. His mouth moved without his consent, speaking instinctively to try and save his life. He was disgusted by how pathetically weak he sounded.

"Please... Pl-please s-stop... Please..."

After an agonising eternity, the pain began to recede slightly, and Neji chanced a look through his burning eyelids. His uncle was glaring at him, dissapointment evident in his eyes. The man spoke deliberately, with forced calm. "I cannot kill you, it would offend my twin brother's memory..." Hiashi paused, and looked his nephew straight in the eye. "So instead, I'll sell you off as a slave... I have the perfect candidate already..."

Neji blinked wearily at his uncle, before his strength failed him, and the young Hyuuga succumbed to the darkness...

_End Flashback._

_The perfect candidate..._Neji shuddered. Those three words sounded so ominous, they worried the Hyuuga genius. Who did his uncle have in mind? Neji glanced to his left, at a cage slightly bigger than his own. Naruto and Sasuke sat inside it, the former resting on the latter's chest, fast asleep. Thick tear-tracks coated the blond's tanned face, and his chest rose and fell unevenly in his sleep. Holding his mate close, the Sharingan heir glared at Neji. It was an apology and an accusation in one. Neji nodded wearily and leaned against the bars of his cage, closing his lavender-coloured eyes. He winced at every bump and crevice in the dirt road.

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When Neji opened his eyes, his friends had gone. Neji couldn't believe it! He had only meant to rest his eyes for a second... He didn't mean to sleep. Surely he didn't sleep! The bars of his cage were far too uncomfortable to warrant that.

He gripped his shoulder in pain as he attempted to sit up. Sleeping in the unforgiving steel cage had definitely been a bad idea. Every muscle ached like he had been beaten viciously. He blinked and forced himself to sit up properly with his left hand.

He knew it was useless; he couldn't sense his friends chakras anywhere. And Naruto's was pretty distinctive, considering he was the living container for the Kyuubi. But he had to try.

"Byakugan!"

The adolescent's eerie white eyes glared through every surface around himself, searching for any sign of the familiar chakras. There was none.

Neji's Byakugan flickered and died. He no longer felt connected to his old world. His family. His life. He felt like an empty shell, hollow and cold. For the first time since his father had sacrificed himself, Neji cried.

He sobbed quietly for a long time. When his tears finally ceased, the dark-haired boy realised that he had no idea where he was. None of the landscape seemed familiar to the Hyuuga. He felt mounting despair clutch at his chest. Slowly, the wagon came to a standstill. Neji looked around in interest - the town seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps a little dismal with nobody on the streets and sand-dunes clustered everywhere in irregular heaps, but nothing to panic about. So why couldn't he steady his racing heartbeat?

A slamming noise erupted from the front of the wagon. Neji could hear the person's footsteps, even as they were muted by the sand. Neji activated the Byakugan and waited for his captor to appear. A thick-set man walked in front of the Hyuuga and sneered menacingly. "I'll gouge out your eyes if you keep that up! You don't scare me!" He boomed.

Neji smirked. He'd faced more fearsome opponents training at home. Neji turned into a blur as he launched himself forwards, forcing his arm inbetween the bars and hitting his opponent directly in the heart. Coughing up blood repeatedly, the 'tough' man collapsed.

A pretty girl wearing a Chinese shirt with her hair tied up in two buns walked up to Neji, stopping just out of range of his juuken attacks. There was already an apology in her eyes. "I'm sorry..." She whispered sullenly, " But you can't know the way..."

She withdrew a thick needle from the pouch on her hip and coated it in some strange purple liquid. Neji watched her warily. "My apologies," she murmured, and launched the peculiar senbon at him. Neji feinted to one side and hissed as the senbon embedded itself deeply into his thigh. He was numbly amazed; this girl could strike with perfect accuracy. Impossible... Accuracy...

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"Gaara," Kankurou smirked from the doorway at his younger brother.

"Hai?" The Shukaku vessel hissed, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He did not like to be disturbed _ever_. By anybody.

His sibling took a wise step backwards, smiling nervously and scratching the back of his head with his hand. "We have a surprise for you. We think you'll like it."

Gaara stretched lightly on his bed - why did he have one? - and stood up. "Fine." He said curtly, following his brother down the ornate staircase and into the equally ornate hallway. He saw his sister, Temari, his... _Father_, the Kazekage, and finally... _him_.

The boy was layed out on the floor in front of him. His skin was a creamy alabaster; pale but not sickly-looking. His hair was dark, and pulled into a curious ponytail, the band wrapped wrapped near the bottom of the boy's hair instead of near his skull, as was the norm. He was clothed in a plain navy t-shirt, loose-fitting black trousers, and had a magnificently-carved gold bracelet linked around his left wrist. The kanji symbols on it read 'Neji'. He had a plain black bandanna wrapped around his forehead and was barefoot.

Gaara's lips twitched upwards an infinitesimal amount as he gathered up the unconscious bundle into his arms. He nodded in thanks in his family's general direction and his siblings beamed in relief. The redhead spun on his heel and ascended the staircase once more.

Gaara sat on the bed he did not need and quietly rocked the adolescent in his arms, smiling faintly. He stroked the boy's cheek with his free hand and brushed his finger against his lips. He glanced at the dark-haired angel's forehead and frowned, wondering why the boy found it necessary to hide his forehead with a bandanna. Still stroking his face, the redhead adjusted his grip on the teenager until he could untie the bandanna. The black fabric slipped down his face and landed on the floor. The Shukaku vessel's eyes widened at the acid-green symbol on the other's forehead; a symbol similar to a swastika, but with a sweeping piece either side of it. A Caged Bird symbol. Gaara gently pushed back one of the Caged Bird's eyelids. Almost colourless eyes with a faint tinge of lilac stared, unseeing, at the redhead. Gaara allowed the eyelid to droop, and smirked. Leaning down, he whispered words into the other's ear.

"Got your wings clipped, ne?" The jinchuuriki breathed, smirking. "Hyuuga..."

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**First chapter done! ^.^ Reviews would be nice... please? -pouts adorably and holds out the collecting tin-**

**Ja ne! xox**


	2. Chapter Two: Caged Bird's Awakening

**I've finally managed to get up another chapter for you all. I apologize for the delay, but I've been sitting my GCSE's and haven't really had time to concentrate on much else. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Expect some OOCness in this chapter. I can't really help it in an AU fic. Oh, and if anyone has an idea for where Sasuke and Naruto have gone, I would love to hear it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It's sad, but true.**

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Sluggishly, Neji's senses began to flood back to him. The first thing he noticed was that a soft, warm pressure was dragging itself along his jawline. He flinched away from it instinctively. Also, his brain began to register a quiet humming noise from nearby. Somebody appeared to be humming comfortingly to him and the sound was... Too close... Irritatingly, the pressure against his jaw regained its path; more forcefully this time. It rubbed over a sensitive spot on Neji's neck, and the brunette shivered involuntarily. As though satisfied with this reaction, the pressure vanished, to be replaced by a voice as cold as snow.

"Wake up..."

Neji's eyelids twitched. He was having difficulty locating them through the drug-induced apathy. What the Hell had he been doped with? That girl... That liquid she'd used had knocked him out in seconds. Neji knew enough about sedatives to know that it should have took longer than that for him to fall under.

The young Hyuuga felt an eerie aura leaning over his prone form, a shadow falling over his face. Slowly, he felt the person draw closer to him and he wanted to scream out in panic. The mysterious individual seemed to pause over his face for a moment, before leaning forwards, and pressing their lips to his eyelids, first one, then the other. Neji blinked wearily and saw a flash of red. Screwing his eyes up tightly, he tried to open them properly. At the same time, he threw his arms outwards, trying to injure the stranger who had hold of him. Surprisingly, his fists connected with a bizarre, gritty surface. It was solid, but flakes of it crumbled off onto his fingers. His lilac eyes focused on the substance. _Sand. _Neji blinked in confusion, and looked up at the figure above him.

He seemed to be around Neji's age, with hair like flames. His eyes were a mixture of blue and green, and framed bu a heavy coating of black eyeliner. The boy's overall skin tone was pale, and the brunette wondered how this was possible in a desert village. Furthermore, he had the kanji 'ai' literally cut into his forehead, a vivid red mark. He looked down at him with a soft expression that still managed to maintain an inner coldness.

Lips twitching upwards at the corners, the redhead spoke, "Are you finally awake, my little Caged Bird?"

Eyes widening in shock, the pale-eyed boy felt a hand caress his forehead. Over that sickening... Mark... Neji shuddered, remembering the day that he had been caged under the Branch family curse... The day he'd had his wings clipped by his fellow Hyuuga...

Gaara watched the other male's eyes unfocus slightly as memories invaded his mind and smirked inwardly. He pulled the Hyuuga into a tighter embrace and sank his teeth into the older teenager's throat, right over the pulse.

Neji jerked instantly in surprise and disgust, his mind crashing back to the present. His hands flew outwards, once again connecting with the gritty surface of sand. He snarled in frustration and Gaara released a low chuckle.

"It won't work," he murmured. "The sand defends automatically, you cannot break through it with hostile intentions."

The brunette snorted and struggled in the redhead's grip. "Who are you?"

"Sabaku no Gaara, jinchuuriki of the Shukaku wraith. I assume you are a Hyuuga, Neji?" Gaara said dispassionately, gently caressing the acid-green symbol for emphasis.

"Hai, I am..." The young Hyuuga agreed. "Though I can hardly call them family." His expression darkened, an angry and betrayed glare appearing on his face.

Tilting his head to the side an infinitesimal fraction, Gaara asked. "Why?"

Immediately, Neji's eyebrows pulled down into a furious scowl. "Iie, _arigatou_. I don't have to explain anything to you," he snarled defensively.

The Shukaku vessel's grip tightened imperceptibly for a few seconds before he released the brunette entirely, causing the pale-eyed boy to stumble backwards a few steps before regaining his balance.

Watching the redhead warily, Neji voiced a question that had been plaguing him ever since his uncle had tortured him into unconsciousness back at the Hyuuga compound.

"Why are you the 'perfect candidate' for me to be sold to?" He asked, curiosity creeping into his tone.

Gaara paused, as if thinking carefully how to phrase something. "There has been straing between Sunagakure and Konohagakurefor many years since our temporary alliance with the treacherous Otogakure. Bonds have been fragilely formulated between these two powerful villages. However, some of the more ancient, and more powerful clans, such as the Hyuuga, and the now decimated Uchiha, wished to form stronger bonds in these times of crisis. And that," he mused. "Is where you come in, Hyuuga Neji."

"So, I'm a BRIBE?" Neji shrieked, offended. "A freaking _BRIBE_?" The Head family had really surpassed themselves in making his life an absolute misery this time. Neji wondered angrily if they enjoyed playing with the tattered and scattered strands of his life like twisted puppeteers. _Probably... _He decided. _Sadistic bastards..._

A sudden wave of nausea hit the Hyuuga prodigy like a tsunami and he staggered backwards a few steps, trying desperately to regain his balance. Two pale arms wrapped around his torso, holding him upright. Teal eyes gazed at him, something akin to concern shimmering in their depths. Neji was annoyed to find himself, once again, in the redhead's embrace.

Said redhead frowned. "You should not overexert yourself. I believe Tenten injected you with a little too much sedative."

"Great..." The pale-eyed boy slurred, attempting to get his legs to support his weight again unsuccessfully. A grayish tinge had started to slowly invade his vision. Gaara shrugged, a tiny motion, and knocked his legs out from under him, scooping him up into his arms like he weighed nothing. Carrying him over to the bed, Gaara set him down and climbed in after him, curling the covers securely around them both. Neji's mind was too far gone to feel particularly alarmed by this, nor was he alarmed when Gaara's lips lightly brushed his forehead as the redhead mumbled. "O yasumi nasai, my little Caged Bird..."

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The next day, Neji found himself exploring the magnificent mansion alone. Gaara, his new master, was trying to discover what became of Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto after they were separated from Neji. This eased the brunette's mind somewhat as he assumed that he would soon know what had happened to his two friends.

After absently wandering around admiring his new 'home' for a while, Neji realised that he had gotten himself _completely _lost. Not particularly worried, the Hyuuga prodigy activated his Byakugan and looked around. His eerie white eyes picked up on the chakras of three people in the room four doors down the hallway. He approached the door and rapped his knuckles against it. The door opened and the girl from the wagon, _Tenten_, his mind recalled, peeked out of it. She smiled warmly at the sight of him and opened the door wider for him to enter. It was immediately apparent that this was the kitchen. Pristine cooking utensils gleamed from every surface.

She bowed to him and moved back over to a bubbling pot. "It's a pleasure to see you again," Tenten smiled, stirring the pot with one hand as she conversed with him.

Nodding slightly, Neji gave a faint smile of his own. "It's a pleasure to see you also, Tenten-chan."

Tenten nodded and looked behind him, letting out a small groan of exasperation before rolling her eyes.

"Konnichiwa!" A loud and excited voice yelled as he was hugged from behind. Before he could react, he was released from the stranger's hold. He turned around and was met by one of the strangest people he had ever met. This boy was Neji's age, and was clothed in some foul, tight-fitting green spandex. Also, his hair was cut in a horrible bowl-cut style, half-hiding massive eyebrows, and he seemed to be on the verge of bouncing on the spot in his excitement. Grinning, the bizarre teenager introduced himself. "I am Rock Lee!" He declared, pausing in his figurative bouncing to bow. "And you are Hyuuga Neji, an inheritor of the Byakugan, am I correct?"

"Lee! Don't hound him; let him relax a little," Tenten chided, hitting the spandex-clad male none too gently on the head with a frying pan. Lee rubbed his abused cranium, but soon got over the minor injury and continued with his rant, something about how Neji was sparkling with 'the power of YOUTH!' Neji tuned most of it out, realising that he wasn't going to pause for breath anytime soon. Vaguely amazed, Neji realised that this teenager may be even more loud and optimistic than Naruto.

By now, the young Hyuuga had ascertained that Rock Lee was pretty much the strangest person he had ever - and would ever - meet. But then a larger version of the lanky, spandex-clad male seemed to literally drop from the ceiling and Neji's mouth dropped. God made _two _of these freaks?

Straightening up, the man flashed him a peace sign and grinned. Neji swore he saw the light sparkle off his teeth like he was in a cartoon. He wore the same sort of outfit as Lee, and had the same bowl-cut hairstyle with even bigger eyebrows. "HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY? MY NAME IS MAITO GAI!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Tenten hit herself in the forehead with the palm of her hand and Lee flashed Gai his own peace sign. Neji was still frozen in shock.

Suddenly, a hand waved in front of the brunette's face, and he blinked slowly. Tenten nodded and lowered her hand, as if Neji's reaction to the spandex-clad double-act was exactly what she had expected. "Why did you come in here, Neji-kun?" she enquired politely whilst Lee and Gai had one of their frequent hugs next to her (Neji gagged internally).

"I was exploring and got lost," Neji began. "So I activated my Byakugan and found you all, so I decided to come and ask for directions."

"I will be glad to help you find your way, Neji-kun!" Lee yelled enthusiastically, extracting himself from Gai's embrace. The brunette groaned silently, it was going to be a long walk back...

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**The end of the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it and I apologize for its shortness and its lateness. But I got Lee, Gai and Tenten in this chapter, so... Its all good!**

**Review please! xox**


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